TUF 11 episode 8 recap

TEAM ORTIZ’S KYACEY USCOLA (18-15) VS. TEAM ORTIZ’S KRIS McCRAY (5-0)

Veteran referee Steve Mazzagatti gets us started, the fighters touch gloves.

Kyacey opens with a nice combo, blocks a punch and leg kick, and then snaps a nice leg kick of his own. Kris answers with a low kick and ducks under a counter punch. Kris throws another low kick and apparently wants to keep distance. Kyacey, though, moves in and throws a front kick to his opponent’s shin, and Kris briefly drops a knee and winces in pain as he returns to his feet. Although his opponent backs away to try to regroup, Kyacey immediately moves in and clinches but struggles to get the fight to the mat. Kris briefly takes the action to the mat, and he then clinches and pins Kyacey against the cage to deliver punches to the face and knees to the legs. Kyacey tries to defend, but Kris won’t break the hold. Kris throws more knees to the legs. They’re not exceptionally powerful, but a strike to groin earns Kris a warning, and Kyacey gets a restart.

With two minutes remaining in the first round, the fighters take the center of the cage. The fighters trade punches, but little lands until Kris gets through a right. Kris follows with some low kicks, throws a right and shoots, but neither fighter can get the advantage as they tumble to the mat, and both quickly return to their feet. Kyacey delivers a nice knee to the midsection on the way up, but Kris counters with a few quick uppercuts to the chin. Kris remains aggressive with a front kick and then shoots, picks up his opponent, and slams him to the mat. Kyacey ends up on his knees, and Kris rains down a dozen punches. Kris finally secures a rear-naked choke in the final seconds of the round, but with neither the position nor the time he needs, the frame comes to a close. MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-9 for Kris.

After some encouragement from their corners and Tito’s reminder not to leave it in the judges’ hands, the fighters return for the second and possibly final round.

Kyacey quickly moves in and pushes his opponent against the fence. The fighters jockey for underhooks as Kyacey delivers knees to the body. Kris, though, pops off the fence, wraps his arms around Kyacey’s waist, and slams him to the mat. Kris drops into side control and immediately delivers punches to the head. Kris patiently improves his position to assure there’s no escape, grabs an arm, and torques the kimura. Kyacey tries to fight it off and grunts as his arm is bent badly, and he’s finally forced to tap from the painful submission.

“I was settled down this time,” says Kris, whom Josh Bryant defeated in the prelims. “I was a little more technical.”

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